AirlineRatings.com examined 407 airlines to find the safest in the world.
When it comes to picking which airline to fly, few things matter more than safety.
So before you book your next domestic or international trip, it’s probably worth your time to check out this list of the safest airlines in the sky.
According to data gathered by AirlineRatings.com, Qantas Airlines is the safest airline in the world. The Australian carrier has a fatality free record, which helped it to earn a 7 out of 7 safety rating. This is the third consecutive year that Qantas has topped the list.
When it comes to American carriers, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and United Airlines all made the list. Noticeably missing from the list is Delta Airlines, which didn’t crack the top 20.
When it comes to the safest low cost carriers, JetBlueand Virgin America were both deemed to be safe.
AirlineRatings.com narrowed in on the safest airlines by examining fatality records, operational histories, past incidents, and government audits. The findings use a seven-star system and deducts points from airlines banned from entering the European Union and airlines that exclusively use Russian-built aircrafts.
Across the board, many airlines performed well. In fact, of the 407 airlines surveyed, 148 earned the top seven-star safety ranking.
Unfortunately, 50 airlines were awarded three stars or less, which doesn’t provide much in the way of comfort to travelers. Even more, 10 airlines only earned one star — all of which were in Indonesia, Nepal and Surinam.
After Qantas, here are the top 20 safest airlines in alphabetical order:
Air New Zealand, Alaska Airlines, All Nippon Airlines, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Finnair, Hawaiian Airlines, Japan Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airline System, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia.
